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This will primarily be a description of music I selected for encounters within WotR (sometimes with a why) with a mix of campaign journal to discuss how some of the encounters played out or funny moments that I remember.
THERE WILL BE LOTS OF SPOILERS, without further markings
Let's start with the party.
Party Composition:
Tural – male LG aasimar paladin of Iomedae, sword and board, fey touched. Exposed to Awfulness
Calden – male LG human Evangelist of Iomedae, adopted brother of Tural. Child of the Crusades
Momma K – female LG Middle Aged Halfling witch. Cook for the crusader camps. Carries a spoon to admonish people who cut in line or take too much food. Hides her witchy powers. Familiar is a lazy hound dog named Delroy II. Delroy I was a previous husband. Originally touched by divinity, but switched to child of crusades as explained below
Aril – male NG fetchling ninja. Chance Encounter. Orphan adopted by Momma K. Scullery boy who was always under foot in crusader camps. Drawn to empyreal lord Kelinahat.
Verulam Porci – male NG Tiefling wizard (evoker). Rift Warden Orphan. Worships Nethys. Raised by half elven family in Kenabres Apprenticed to local wizard, but had finished and was joining crusade
Xira – female LG Vanara Ranger. Archer. Stolen Fury
15 point build. Average starting cash for class.
Players are a mix, mostly long term players. Tural is Xira’s real life father and has heavy hand in her character. Tural and Aril are prone to power builds, and since Tural influences Xira’s character, it will likely be a bit of a power build. However, given her experience in gaming, she may not always use the most optimal/power oriented tactics. Momma K’s player is prone to making characters that are purposefully sub-optimal in some regard, but never maliciously designed to hinder party. Calden’s player loves making characters, but struggled with a healing build that was not a one trick pony. Verulam’s player obsesses over the rules, and can build very powerful characters, but not always designed that way.
Session 1 – Begin on 16 Arodus
Idea stolen from Story Archer ([url=http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ptt5?Quintessential-RotRL-music[/url]) based on a theater technique to help players get in the mood of the game. Always start the game with the same music as the players move books, pull out dice and generally get settled for the game.
Pre Intro: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan – Bear McCreary, BG
I warned players that intro was fairly heavy handed, but epic story telling. Mixed active storytelling with flashback. Sort of a ‘hey it is Armasse, you are all headed to plaza…Nice day, weather clear. Excitement. Pageantry. You see this, that, Hulrun stands up to speak. Bam, Kite explodes. Storm King arrives.' Pulled out every demon and chaos knight mini I had to show abyssal legions pouring into plaza (Old Ral Partha Ral, balrogs, Lord of Chaos, Champion of Chaos, 4 Chaos soldiers, all the WotR demon minis, and some other randoms I have collected/painted over the years).
Bam. Wake up in dark.
Flashback Terendelev morphing and launching into air to fight. Explosions, earthquakes, and what not.
Intro Box Text: Theme from Armageddon – Trevor Rabin, Armageddon OST
In keeping with the spirit of the AP that vermin and swarms are an overarching theme, I added a fiendish fly swarm in the cavern where they landed so that they started with a combat of sorts. The swarm did no damage but sickened them if they failed a save. Minor hit points, but it did burn through the wizard’s AoE spells. Swarms are nasty for first level PCs, so I did not want to overdo it, but I wanted some combat with fiendish vermin/swarms to help introduce the PCs to the Deskari themes of the AP.
Fly Swarm in A1: Swarm of Flies – Dr. Sound Effects
Party then talked to NPCs and sorted out who was who. I thought about picking some theme music for the NPCs, but could not find anything I liked that was short enough. The party skipped around with whom they talked anyway, so it would have gotten confusing to keep switching music. Tural and Calden botch badly diplomacy for Horgus. Horgus convinced that tiefling is demon and wants to eat him. Not so sure about simian and fetchling. Only presence of Iomedaen soldiers reassures him. Momma K tries to intimidate. Also botched. Anevia and Aravashnial brought into friendly, but not helpful. Party begins to move. Spots spider. May have over played spider. Had a really big spider mini that I put down in the dwarven forge cavern. Party could see exits and edged way around it. Did hear the maggots crawling around and figured out that it was dead, but did not get close enough to trigger maggots.
Spider in A1: The Spiders – Harry Potter OST
Meeting Aragog – Harry Potter OST
Did not use this music because party never got close enough to trigger maggots.
Maggots in A1: Maggot – Music of Diablo
Don’t Mind the Maggots: Property, Redemption
The party went left around the spider and headed to A2 and the cockroaches. While I am aware that there are spitting cockroaches, I could not find a good sound for them and substituted termites instead. This fight was surprisingly tough since the cockroaches had die hard.
Cockroaches in A2: Termites Swarm Around your Head – Dr. Sound Effects
A4: cave viper – quickly dispatched. I may have generic combat music on, but nothing that lasted long enough to matter.
B: Abandoned Temple
Outside of temple, party is attacked by fly. Immediate concern – is it fiendish? Is it a swarm? No and no. Nothing particularly memorable about this fight. This type of flight not very useful against an archer ranger.
B1: Temple –Flies Buzzing 4 - Dr. Sound Effects
Horgus is grumpy and speaks out about delay exploring temple. Tural actually punches Horgus in response to Horgus’s accusation that the party is all a bunch of demon worshippers (later explained as “I interpreted that to mean Horgus said Iomedae was a demon”). Horgus leaves on his own using candles and a dagger he has borrowed from Tural. Party almost splits as some contemplate chasing him down, but Anevia and Aravashnial’s slow movement cause that to be reconsidered and everyone returns to temple.
Huecava entry says it looks normal during daylight hours. We are underground, but it is daylight…so, no real clue it is not a dwarf, although layer of dust is clue he is dead. Combat goes.
Not clear if it is 8 man hours or 8 hours by everyone in party, but they clean the temple. I said man hours. However, having depleted resources, the party stayed rest of day and night in temple. Failed to get bless because no one could make knowledge religion roll.
B2 & B3: Temple – music of Diablo
Day – 17 Arodus
C: Cavern of Ancestors
As party entered cavern and saw statues, Crusaders played. Turned off for darkmantle fight. Forgot to use darkness ability on darkmantle. Quick fight.
C1: Crusaders – Harry Gregson-Williams, Kingdom of Heaven OST
Party enters Millorn’s cavern. See Millorn cavorting over bound form. Horgus. Party advances. Tural falls to color spray. Rest of party beats down and subdues Millorn. Horgus has been tortured and a few fingers removed. He is insistent that Millorn be killed. Reluctantly thankful that they rescued him, but again the party blows diplomacy checks.
C2: Can I Play with Madness – Iron Maiden, A Real Live One
End Session 1
Out of game and on list – Anevia discloses to Calden that Horgus is a strong worshiper of Abador and perhaps a contract can be negotiated. Calden negotiates a “no questions – let us do our jobs” in exchange for 10% of wealth recovered on way to surface. Horgus continues to be a pain the ass, but instead of questioning decisions, he merely makes snide comments.
Session 2
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
Party talks a little more to Horgus to get him a bit more on board. Talk to Anevia, give her some arrows. Aravashnial mentions some spells but party unsure how to use given targeting issues. Party heads out. Meets Mongrelmen. Tural has crowbar, turning moving the rock into relative simple exercise. Horgus is obnoxious. Aravashnial displays his usual lack of tact, but a few good rolls and saving Crel keeps the mongrelmen friendly
D: Fallen Guard Post: Am I Not Human – Two Steps from Hell, Invincible
Party continues on. Random Encounter! Yay, dire rats. Not particularly interesting, but party leaves Horgus in back with unconscious Millorn. Horgus balances the scales by slitting Millorn’s throat. Tural has fit. Caleb barely restrains. Horgus is to consider himself “under arrest”. Horgus is all like “whatevs”
Dire Rats: Just Kill It! – Erdenstern, Into the Dark
Chasm not really a challenge since Xira has climb speed and levitate scales and such.
E: Broken Road: The Fall Into Eclipse – Therion, A’arab Zaraq-Lucid Dreaming
Party creeps up to fungus after warning from mongrelmen. Figure out it is dead and loot bodies, discovering cultists true affiliation. Party takes heads for later presentation to authorities.
F: Dead Cultists De Mortui Nil Nisi Bene – Tarot, Spell of Iron
I may also have had Bugs from Starship Troopers as they were approaching fungus
Party arrives Neathholm. Speaks to Chief Sull. Basic conversation goes well, I ask for diplomacy roll. Tural again gets one on diplomacy roll. Tural’s player says “let me roleplay this one.” Gives nice speech about how if mongrels were truly committed to crusades, they would rise up and help liberate Kenabres. Very condescending and insulting. Sull had been inclined to proffer alliance. Now flips it that they have always been ready, but past actions have proven surface folk unreliable…demands proof that things have changed by requiring party to eliminate traitors. The fact that it is also fastest way remaining to surface is happy coincidence.
G.: Neathholm – Am I Not Human
Party spends night to rest.
Day 18 Arobus
Party gets potions from Sull and heads to traitor lair. Dwarven Forge laid out gives nice long straight path. Dwarven Forge makes it wider than shown on map. Party is disconcerted by barriers and has not requested that NPCs aid them much. Barriers provide enough cover and party rolls poorly such that second wave of mongrels come out door, then cave lizard and Wendaug. Wendaug has her longbow and can stay behind the scrub mongrels and shoot at party. Look, a nice human worshipper of Iomedae. Crit. Whoops Calden is dead. Not down, dead. Party does manage to finish the six mongrels, cave lizard and Wendaug, but NPCs have to intervene. Anevia uses bow to moderate effect and Aravashnial whips out the lantern archon (I figured he needed something he could speak to since he could not place the summoned creature effectively). Party retreats back to Neathholm to lick its wounds.
H: Lair of the Vile and Vicious: Schwarzalbenheim – Therion, Secret of the Runes
Session 3
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
Party arranges with Chief Sull to bury Calden. Offers bat brooch in payment. Sull gets all weepy and says fine. Offers his magic Morningstar as well to help them with traitors. As party is constructing cairn for Calden, another group of Mongrels arrives with another surface survivor. Party returns to tribal meeting house and is introduced to Galain bin Roderick a male half-elf oracle of Cayden Cailean. He has the vision and mobility curse, which causes Horgus to comment that great now they have double their cripple coefficient. Galain’s story is similar to party’s in that he fell into a rift and woke in the caverns. A Mongrel patrol found him and brought him to Neathholm. Galain takes touched by divinity. Move Momma K to Child of Crusades. Although I may mix that up because it is too funny to have Momma K with touched by divinity. Party rests for rest of day and heads back out to Traitor’s Lair.
Children of the Damned - Iron Maiden, The Number of the Beast & Am I Not Human?
Day 19 Arobus
After resting and healing, the party returns to Traitor’s Lair. I struggled with whether Hosilla would leave or hold her position. Her instructions were to hole up, but not specifically to stay in one place. She had lost half her Mongrels and she knew about the safehouses on the surface. However, that means she probably doubles up with Faxon, which makes that fight very hard. So I leave her in place, but move the mongrels to front door and replace the shifted mongrels with more cultists. The party starts pretty similarly to first time except Verulam casts hold portal on door, so the first two mongrels are dispatched before the second wave comes. Then the second wave is fought inside H2.
Fights with Mongrels at H1 & H2 Schwarzalbenheim – Therion, Secret of the Runes
Cultists in H10 are alerted, but still have no love for Mongrels, so they buff up and get ready for party. Party obligingly heads north to H10. Party captures Deskari cultist with sleep.
H10: Cultists De Mortui Nil Nisi Bene – Tarot, Spell of Iron
Party looks in trash room, but does not enter. I was going with Just Kill It! for the random critters, but it did not get used for Amoeba. Party pulls up ladder to lower region and then explores well (H11). Party fails perception check, so does not discover secret cache. Party then heads down. Uses darkness to hide as they go down into lower level. Fight with the two cultists in H6 turns into rolling combat with next two cultists from H7 rolling into H6 and eventually Hosilla and Uziel arriving. Hosilla gets some good hits in, but ultimately falls. Party recovers Radiance and other loot.
H6 and H7 Cultists - De Mortui Nil Nisi Bene – Tarot, Spell of Iron
Hosilla – Lady of the Dark – Erdenstern, Into the Dark
Party heals up some and then heads up. As party is split on ladder to H13, rats attack. However, they are not really a match for party, but noise alerts Mongrels in H14.
H13: Sewer Rats – Just Kill It!
Mongrels prepare, but not really a match as party is starting to learn some group tactics.
H14: Last Mongrels Schwarzalbenheim
Dretch in maze are challenge. Stinking Cloud really hits party. Paladin smites and eventually kills first while second is moving to attack party from rear. Anevia’s sneak attack overcomes second before it can get off stinking cloud.
H15: Dretches – Demons Reprise – Glenn Danzig, Black Aria II
Arrive at Surface
Freedom Theme – Braveheart OST & Now We are Free Gladiator OST & Dawn Over a New World – Dragonforce, Sonic Firestorm
Session 4
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
Party begins with argument about where to go. Horgus demands to be taken home. Party is relatively low on resources. Aravashnial indicates Blackwing Library is close and will have resources. Party heads to Blackwing. Encounters Howler on way. 2 PCs fail save.
Howler – Bark at the Moon – Ozzy Osbourne, Bark at the Moon
Party arrives and hears Chaleb discussing burning the books. Aravashnial a mess when he hears library is destroyed. Party looks in and sees Chaleb with his minions. Initially party mistakes Fenna for bad guy. Combat ensues. Chaleb dazzles and challenges Tural. Good hit, but party ganks him. Minions drop one librarian before getting ganked. Party rests at Blackwing. Horgus complains but having seen outside is relatively quiet.
I: Blackwing Ruins – Black Blade – Two Steps from Hell, Invincible
Day 20 Arobus
Party leaves Aravashnial and heads to Gwerm Manor. Verulam wants to visit mentor, but wants to get rid of Horgus more. On way come across 6 crusaders sacrificing virgin. Party bumbles tactics and sacrifice dies. One crusader escapes. Party kills one and captures 4. Heals them and lectures them. Loots them and sets them free with cold iron daggers.
Lost Crusaders – Crusaders – Kingdom of Heaven OST
This music was inadvertently reused from C1 and the statues of the first crusaders. I would change this in hindsight.
Party continues on to Gwerm Manor. Horgus dismayed his servants have left, but vault is intact. He gives party 14 days rations and absolves them of the 10% contract they made. Fumbles through a thank you. The party role played well with Horgus, but dice hates them on those rolls.
J: Gwerm Manor – Head Like a Hole, Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine
This would probably be Horgus’s theme music throughout if I could have found something for Aravashnial and Anevia.
Party then heads to Tirablade house. The rats were a non-existent encounter almost.
Dire Rats – Sewer, Music from Diablo
I will have to echo other comments that this is the dumbest fight. Invisible and summoning 4 HP (maybe effectively 6 since they have DR2/good) fire beetles? Every other round? He has scorching ray! A wand of magic missile…dumb fight.
K: Tirablade Residence: Revenge- Braveheart OST & Betrayal, Revenge & Murder – Injustice:Gods Among Us OST
Anevia request to be taken to Defender’s Heart, which is close. Party agrees and heads north. Overhears chaos in shop. Investigates and meets Loumises being terrorized by demon
Besieged Shop – Broken Glass – Buckcherry, 15; Shattered –I:Scintilla, Dying & Falling; Shattered Glass – Heather Alexander, Midsummer
Party arrives Defender’s Heart. Gets download of events. Rests and gets ready to explore safe houses.
Get Settled: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan – Bear McCreary, BG
Day 21 Arobus
Party sets out with group of knights and crusaders to retrieve librarians and send expedition through sewers to cement alliance with Neathholm. Party has goal of checking up on Verulam’s mentor and then exploring the Templar safe houses. The mentor’s house happens to be near Nyserian Manor.
The party peels off right before Blackwing Library and intends to go through gap in wall to Nyserian Manor.
Street Rituals – The Ritual – Erdenstern, Into the Dark
I have decided the mentor is a mage of some power, so while his house has been destroyed in the same swath of destruction that destroyed the Nyserian Manor, he has killed several demons, which have attracted several scavengers and carrion to feast on the corpse.
Namely – 4 demonic flies and 2 fiendish vultures
While the vultures are alive
Bugs – Basil Poledouris, Starship Troopers, OST, then when flies are left Flies Buzzing 4 - Dr. Sound Effects
I give them the loot from the hidden chamber in sewers as they search the house, but no sign of mentor.
Nyserian Manor also in ruins, so party heads north.
Street Puppets – Puppet - Thousand Foot Krutch, Set it Off; The Puppet – Echo and the Bunnymen, Songs to learn and sing; Puppets (the first snow) – Motionless in White, Creatures
At the Tower of Estrod, party ninja boffles the pick lock on the door, so the cultists inside summon Faxon to upper level and buffs. Party takes so long to get through door that buffs should have worn off. But party enters.
Faxon – Kalki – E.S. Posthumus, Makara
Faxon got whacked hard. As party steam rolled through cultists.
Skipped Random encounter on way to Topaz Solutions so we could get through it before end of session. Party negotiated past the looters in upper level. I played these guys as good old boys getting while the getting was good. Party felt like they could not accuse anyone of looting given what they had been doing recently – and the fact that there was no indication that the goods had been liberated from good guys or bad guys. Tural detected evil, but scrub level 2 warriors are not going to register as evil.
Six pack of beer – Hank Williams III, Damn Right Rebel Proud
Party searched and found secret door and headed down. Obligingly triggered trap catching 3 party members in cloud. Plant shrieked and took out a few more with nausea. However, Aril and Verulam flanked and killed. Then party fled cloud until it dissipated.
Little Shop of Horrors soundtrack
Session 6: Storming the Grey Garrison
I was a bit under prepared for this session, so the music was a generic mix of combat music from various music soundtracks with a few targeted tunes.
The party had its usual settle down music, and then spent a good bit of time planning how the assault on the Garrison should occur. As they planned they were informed that the first descendants would be assisting the diversionary attacks and a few archers would accompany them into the Garrison. Then Irabeth indicated that the plans were solid enough on the diversionary front that she would accompany the party in the assault. Add in Aravashnial's bag of goodies, and the party was ready.
The party ultimately agreed on climbing the escarpment at one of the ulkreth trails and then working their way into the gatehouse closest to the Defender's Heart. If it was manned (it was), they would work their way around the wall to where the Kite had been and cross the rubble there to get into the heart of Old Kenebras.
I put a token guard force of four cultists and the 3rd level half orc fighter at the end of the wall. The party lured them out into the focused fire of the mongrelmen and that combat ended quickly. The party has two people with decent stealth and climb checks, so they climbed on top of the Garrison to scout the building from above.
Hulrun and Kandro 'spotted' them with blindsense, and the scouts retreated. The party then charged around the corner with all the mongrel archers and made reasonably short work of the vermleks. Acoustic version of Master of Puppets, apoplytica
Inside, Momma K webbed the tieflings into the room off the foyer and left the mongrel archers to deal with them. The abrikandilus were not too difficult. Metallica's version of Master of Puppets
Othirubo was moderately more challenging with the bombs easily hitting the low touch AC Tural, but again, the party has plenty of healing at this point.
The dretch at the stairs were also quickly dispatched and the party ran up to deal with the tieflings on the landing. This combat was annoying more from space restraints than any real danger to the party. The cultists in the side room had time to buff, but could not stand up to the party and the swarm of arrows.
The peryton was an interesting change of pace, but can't really fly effectively inside. Even if the ceilings are more than 10', the number of archers and the lack of an AC against AoO from every party member made flyback attack also weaksauce.
The schir did not even get to his initiative. The party skipped the flies and went to the zombies. Not much challenge there.
The party then buffed and went up for the minotaur. Not clear if blowing the horn is a standard action in this case, but with his low armor class and vulnerability to paladins, he did not last. I fudged his hit points a lot to give Jeslyn time to buff, but he was not threatening.
Jeslyn was not much better. Too easy to hit and too quickly surrounded to get off spells. The scythe did some damage, but too much readily available healing made that less than threatening.
The party cried when the babau's came into the room, but the buff from the wardstone was ample to keep that combat in the realm of a curb stomp.
I love this story, but these guys were third level and rolled through the Grey Garrison. Irabeth would have been ample help. They did not need the mongrels. There was also little chance of needing to retreat and do a second assault.
Now they are mythic and 4th level. I will keep them in Kenebras for a bit next session before Galfrey shows up. The intent being that they have to defend the Garrison from a counterattack, and then do a few clean up missions. That should get them to 5th for the meat of the Sword of Valor intro.
Session 7: Cleaning up Kenabres. Played August 24, 2014
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
I still really dig the settle in music. While we don't always use it to get in character, it lets people know we are about to start and time to finish eating lunch and get the chit chat out of the way. Time to roll some dice.
The session began with the party cleaning up the Gray Garrison temples and what not. We had had a lot of back and forth on the list about what was going to be done to what bodies and what steps were being taken to clean what temples/chapels. They got almost all the dedication points. They lost a few because they wanted to burn the bundle of flesh on the altar instead of trying to bury it. Maybe too literalist on my part, but they had said they wanted to bury Hulrun and Kandro, so I was okay with being strict. Plus, do they really need another +2 stat bump?
They positioned a few of the mongrels outside to watch the city. Sure enough, it soon became apparent that the forces from the Defender's Heart were pushing the demonic forces out of the city. The sentries reported groups of cultists breaking from the walls and fleeing in whatever direction offered the least resistance. In one case a relatively large group headed toward the Gray Garrison.
The party readied themselves and defeated a home made encounter of a tainted sorcerer (NPC codex), 6 brigands, and 2 Traitorous Brigands (also all NPC codex I think). By CR this should have been a tough fight, but with Irabeth and the mongrels to assist, it was not hard. Kirisute Gomen; Trivium, Shogun; Anumati; E.S. Posthumus, Makara
The party returned to cleaning up and eventually the forces of good pushed the lines forward to the Gray Garrison and let the party know that the city was essentially reclaimed. When the wardstone blew, the demons supporting the cultists seemed to vanish. The resulting loss of morale let the crusaders push past the defenses and rout the demonic forces.
The party finished cleaning the last of the temples and left the Garrison in the hands of Irabeth and some crusaders. The party commandeered a wagon and marched to the graveyard. At the graveyard, they blew through 2 wights and 4 ghouls. Again, by CR, this should have been a tough fight, but a well placed web allowed the party to split the bad guys and defeat readily. The Revenants; Midnight Syndicate, The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates; Legions of the Dead; Midnight Syndicate, Realm of Shadows
After burying the dead and saying appropriate words, the party returned to the Defender's Heart for the evening. The listened to the reports coming in as various portions of the city were declared clear of taint, and where there was still resistance. The reports were long on the first and short on the second.
I had a fight with a barbarian lancer planned, but it did not feel right during the session, so it was skipped.
However, scouts reported that a giant and some ogres had proven more than the basic crusaders could handle, and there was a request for the party to see if they could handle. 1 hill giant, 10 orcs and 2 ogres. Again, a respectable CR encounter. No real challenge. Jotunheim; Therion, Secret of the Runes
The party returned to rest and do basic clean up of city (no planned encounters)
Party leveled up to 5.
The party spent another 3 days doing basic clean up and such. Again, no planned encounters, but touched base with NPCs and whatnot.
Then Galfrey arrived. Princess Leia's Theme; John Williams, Star Wars
She interviewed them and indicated she was giving them an army. Award ceremony the following day followed by mock combat for the new army and to help us see if we liked the army combat rules. The Throne Room and End Title; John Williams, Star Wars
Session 8: The March to Drezen, part the first, Played September 13, 2014.
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
The next day the army headed to Vala's Gift, reaching it at nightfall. The next day they spent searching for survivors. Gallain found a large cask of beer unspoilt. Here's to Us; Halestorm, The Strange Case of...
Another day spent marching up the Sellen River to reach Vilareth Ford. In addition to general lack of excitement about the army combat, let me also point out that the army of paladins is total bad ass compared to anything else they have to fight. Never in any real danger, although poor rolls made this combat last a while. Army of Justice; Two Steps from Hell, Archangel
Party rescues Kamilo who recognizes Momma K and agrees to go back to Kenabres to report conditions at the ford.
Following day, party heads towards Keeper Canyon. Wait through the night so they do not arrive in evening.
Army of paladins blasts through armies at Canyon. The Battle; Hans Zimmer; Gladiator OST I don't think this actually got too far into the 10 minute song the fight was so quick.
Heading up Ahari River, Into the Abyss; Midnight Syndicate; Realm of Shadows. Begin to see true effect of the Worldwound. Described much like the edge of the Blight in Eye of the World. That night, they have discussion with Arles. Although hard to explain why he is despairing when the army crushed the bad guys in last two fights. I played it as if the environment had pushed him over edge. While Tural has a habit of rolling poorly on his diplomacy checks, he rolled well enough here to resolve things.
They come across the Lost Chapel. Used this to clue party in that Aron was drugged because he had completely spaced out while searching. They confront Aron and find drugs. Do not find person who placed them. I did not pace these well because both Aron and Arles were diplomacy challenges and that meant paladin addressed both, leaving rest of party somewhat restless.
Party sends army onward and heads up to Chapel. Fight the Gargoyles Among the Ruins; Midnight Syndicate, Realm of Shadows
Session 9: Arrival at Drezen Played September 21, 2014
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
Session began with the party at the Lost Chapel. As the party explored, played Among the Ruins, Bear McCreary, BG: Season 4, but when the party found the desecrated Chapel Atlantis; Rich Carle, Injustice: Gods Among Us OST
The fight with the ghouls was not interesting. The party managed to disrupt the casting (stupid archers and full round casting) and the individual ghouls were too weak to do much. The clerics were a little better in melee, but not much.
Nulkineth met them buffed in the kitchen. Tural was rudely surprised with corruption resistance, but the scrub ghouls again did not manage to distract the party for very long.Enter Vril-Ya; Therion, Deggial
The party explored the rest of the Chapel and had entered the courtyard when Maugla arrived. This was a bit more fun as the party was very afraid of the enervation. Likewise, Maugla had room to fly above party and was somewhat resistant to spells. So he lasted a while until the party got a fly on Tural. Unguentum Sabbati; Therion, Sitra Ahra
Party found the potions, cleaned the chapel and then caught up to the army, which was stalled at the swarms. The party identified the source and entered the caves, managing to avoid the swarms in the caves all the way to the queen. She died quickly. Caves; Matt Uelmen, The Music of Diablo; Beehive Buzzes; Pro Sound Effects, Sound of Animals: bugs and insects
The party explored the purple and fought the vrock Chateau; Rob Dougan, The Matrix Reloaded Spores are nasty.
On to Drezen. The party dithered about the bridge for a long time, eventually settling on a plan to invisibly silently approach and kill the aurochs. Fine, but Barrid has a few AoE spells that he can drop, and many of his summoned critters have scent. They killed the aurochs and ran, leaving the tieflings untouched. So Barrid used spells and such to destroy bridge and retreat to the Citadel. Burn Your Bridges; Darker Day Tomorrow, Zeitgeist; Burning Bridges; Garth Brooks, Ropin' The wind
The party then blew through the army combats with the southbank, paradise hill, and cemetery. Too fast to even do music.
Party now level 6.
Great Choices! I also love Bear McCreary. His current work on Agents of SHIELD is really good stuff.
Some suggestions for more sources: Bryan Tyler's current work on Sleepy Hollow, and anything by Chris Young are good for creepy aleatoric stuff. David Arnold's Stargate has some really good grand music which might be good. And of course you can't go wrong with Jerry Goldsmith (particularly Alien and The Omen).
Keep up the good work!
Session 10, Drezen, Played November 2, 2014
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
The party camped with the army and began the next day by hearing reports. Reports of sabotage were overshadowed by news of an incorporeal haunt attacking some of the paladins. Food stores continued to dwindle. The party instructed the paladins to begin gathering material to build ramps for the riverbed to replace the destroyed bridge. I rolled very low, so only a day to gather and a day to build.
The party set out to find the haunt and went to the cemetery. While exploring the cemetery Graveyard; Midnight Syndicate - Vampyre: Symphonies from the Crypt
They entered the crypt and a brief parlay with Moxsahbuul - then combat. Cause you know. Unhallowed Ground; Midnight Syndicate - Vampyre: Symphonies from the Crypt
After the crypt, they crossed the riverbed and levitated up to one of the towers to engage the brimorak there. Taking a page from someone else, I had that brimorak get off a fireball, which caused the others to begin summoning (I think two were successful) and then a barrage of fireballs from the other towers, followed by the brimoraks teleporting in. Dropped several players to negatives with the five fireballs. The life oracle saved everyone, but it was close.
Feur Frei!; Rammstein - Mutter
The paladin flew over and destroyed the other catapults and the party retreated towards their army.
Soltengrebbe. I used scorpion's stat block. Truly a good fight. As an aside, the mini for Soltengrebbe is pretty cool. The mythic chimera loop that someone posted in the fan goodies thread
Welcome to mythic 2.
Party retreats to army and licks wounds. Spends next day supervising the building of the ramps.
The Battle with the Armies of the Citadel was longer than some of the others because the party rolled poorly, but still overall - LAME. Battle of the Asteroid; Bear McCreary - OST Battlestar Galactica
While the Army mopped up, the party entered the Citadel - through Soltengrebbe's lair. Hmmm, party is 6/2 and they are going pretty much straight towards Staunton. That should be interesting.
They explore the seneschal's room, then fight the Thoxels. Thoxels die quickly so don't get to explore their abilities too much, although I think the ninja got the 'attack your leader' confusion. I had not thought the party would go this way so no music.
The half fiend minotaurs yelled and screamed and alerted everyone, but also died without too much fuss.
Was late so we stopped there.
Session 11, Exploring the Citadel, played November 23, 2014
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
I was trying to figure a way to delay the party from fighting Staunton (he is only 3.5 rooms away from the Soltengrebbe entrance). Note that the party did not take any of the NPCs with them, so I can't use one of them to distract party. Ooo, this vrock should be able to hear the fight with the minotaurs. Let's see to hear combat dc -10, +1 for every 10 feet. Wow, these rooms are pretty big, okay about 110 feet. Still DC 1...vrock has perception +23. Easy. Wait, this rock is completely blocking these doors. +10 DC for each foot of stone...that is at least five feet of stone...DC 51? Nope, not even with a +23. What about this guy? Nope telepathy only 100' and he is too far away...this guy? Nope too far away...ok. the Vhane brothers it is.
Party tests the doors out of the minotaur rooms, but can't get into vrock room because of rubble. Empty room...and then Joran Vhane's room with his babaus.
The babaus heard the fight with the minotaurs, so they had summoned a fourth babau (prerolled the summon success/fail) and Joran had buffed up including his copycat. Black Heart and a Hammer; The Cruxshadows - Night Crawls In
Joran sits in back while babaus melee. Suggestion works on ninja. He takes off. Blindness fails on ranger. Babaus throw darkness and dispel. This party does not walk around with a lot of buffs, so this dispel does nothing. The darkness gets dispelled and Momma K runs after the ninja to dispel the suggestion. The room layout makes it hard for babaus to get flank on paladin, but they keep him off Joran. Wizard drops a slow on babaus...that was annoying. Joran made save. Joran silences door where wizard and witch are standing. Stupid silent spell feat.
Joran finally melees paladin. Blindness in spell storing hammer does not work. Last babau falls, Joran still not damaged.
Staunton has minotaur open door and sends in his other minotaur, Vrexed, and himself. I forget about his summoned babau and the first minotaur had a standard action left. The wasp goes to engage ranger and wizard. Minotaur and Staunton on paladin. The Olympic Carrier; Bear McCreary; OST BG in hindsight, not quite epic enough music. I swapped out craft arms for weapon focus glaive.
Ninja closes door. Wizard casts hold portal. Humph. My babau and minotaur are still in Staunton's room. Babau teleports through and minotaur begins chopping down door. Staunton wastes a touch of corruption on paladin who makes the fatigue saving throw. Should have just hit paladin with glaive again.
Witch sleeps Staunton with hex. I have glaive wake him up, otherwise this fight sucks. But he is prone. Wizard slows him. Makes him use more mythic points to get multiple attacks. Ninja stole his protection from good. Witch dispels his bull strength. Ranger drops wasp quickly.
Joran dazes paladin. Nice that touch attacks against high armor foes usually hit. He does this like 3 times before he takes enough damage from ranger that he retreats outside silence to heal self. Oracle is working overtime to heal everyone - particularly paladin who is taking the brunt of Staunton's attacks.
Wizard lightning bolts Staunton and Joran. Babau is immune, but ranger drops babau. Joran falls to -2 from bolt. Staunton is suffering from multiple ill omens and near death. He has one mythic point left. Does he surge to make sure he hits the paladin or does he use it to get extra attack. Ill omen pushes him to surge now rather than have to roll twice and risk the miss. Drops paladin. Minotaur gets through door. Witch sleeps it. Ranger hits Staunton with arrows and drops him to like -16. But with hard to kill, he stabilizes. Party has now captured both Vhane brothers.
Long combat and intense. Party blew through almost all resources.
Party retreats and rests. Welcome to level 7.
Party hears about more sabotage in camps and interrogates the Vhanes under zone of truth. Joran blabbers. He was at the surrender point in the fight right before dropped. Joran truthfully (as far as I can tell) says that he has not committed any crime in Kenabres or against Mendev directly. Likewise, it is not clear he has done anything directly to any Mendevian crusader, so the party is a bit perplexed about whether they have jurisdiction to punish him. While party learns about vampire and seneschal, it does not learn about protector of Sword - just that it is in basement. Likewise does not learn about Arueshalae. Party turns him over to Irabeth who begins talking about Iomedae.
Interrogation of Staunton is weaksauce. He curses them and brags about his deeds, but does not answer any salient questions. Tells party to kill him. They decline. Party tosses Soulshear in pile of loot to be sold and heads back to Citadel.
Goes back through Soltengrebbe's lair. Meanwhile, what do I do with the Citadel inhabitants? Party will need xp, so I opt to leave them in place. However, party does not explore Staunton's room - it goes downstairs. They buff up pretty heavy and go straight through dungeons, not bothering to explore side rooms.
Spectres in the hall. Easy. Spectral Masquerade; Midnight Syndicate - Vampyre: Symphonies from the Crypt
Turn down to the torture chamber and the babaus. No music for them, but they die quickly. They alert vamp and he begins to buff.
End of session.
Session 12: The End of Eustoyriax, played December 7, 2014
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
Player of Aril - the ninja with Chance Encounter not in attendance, but I have character sheet and player for Momma K runs him. Bad session for him to miss as set forth below.
Party kicks around a bit as they remember what was happening and begin opening doors off Torture Room. First door is door to Theruk Nul.
Dracula Untold - Ramin Djawadi, Dracula Untold OST; Vampyre - Midnight Syndicate, Vampyres: Symphonies from the Crypt
Ended up being a tough fight for party.
First round, Verulam/wizard fireballs room. It was full of books. Verulam is all about books. Nice. Theruk fails save and takes respectable damage. Tural/paladin goes in and smites. Misses. Love me my uncanny dodge, although I don't tell player that. Aril/ninja goes in. Probably had enough movement to get next to him without provoking, but player typically just runs up for that first sneak attack. Theruk has uncanny dodge and combat reflexes, so does he get AoO or not. Point 1 why bad session for him to miss, I rule he moves to side to set up future flank and that movement provokes. Two negative levels for the ninja. O, and no sneak attack for the ninja. Theruk avoids power attack, but hands out some more negative levels, healing. Mentally summons his minions. They will arrive in two rounds I have determined. Mythic silence from Galain/Oracle. Hmm, that will break mental link with minions, but they are still on way.
Party resists dominates easily enough from Theruk, but someone fails against spawn. I may have fudged an evasion roll for Theruk (he does not have and I gave it to him against another fireball), but he lasted just long enough to be exciting.
Since the party is only 7th level (without a restoration spell amongst casters (oracles don't get at 7th and witch does not have it), these negative levels really impact them and made them scared for that second hit. But party puffed each of them, tracked them to coffins and slew them while helpless.
When the spawn showed up The Brood, Ramin Djawadi, Dracula Untold OST
Party then explored Arcane prison and found Arueshalae's cell. I borrowed Nobody'shome's extra tidbits for Exposed to Awfulness and Riftwarden. Tural/paladin got his flashback. Verulam/Wizard did not.
Party back tracked and could not find secret door to rest of level. Got to hate that -2 on skill checks for the chaotically evil aligned dungeon and another -2 for negative levels. Also got to hate that no one had dispel evil or dispel chaos.
Verulam cast detect secret doors. I ruled that would be enough time to explore two areas. They chose the torture room and the arcane prison. No love. Party then spent hour taking twenty on the communal lock up. No love. Meanwhile party is occasionally making saves versus the whispers. Or failing. Xira/ranger begins regretting making cha a dump stat when she gets to 2 cha. Potions of lesser restoration get used. Party takes twenty on Jailor's quarters...finds secret door.
Party goes through and finds forge. Uses a resist energy fire and goes down. Fight with Salamanders burned up some spells. 9 point ice storm (well a few more because cold vulnerable, but ouch). I ruled steam from ice on forge obscured vision some...it made the ranger slightly less effective. Confusion on the salamanders...got one babble and one attack nearest...which was Tural. Playing With Fire - Lita Ford, Dangerous Curves; Fire Woman - The Cult, Sonic Temple
Momma K observes that Verulam never holds back casting. DM has provided reminder that the module says this is for 9th level PCs and that they have burned resources and have negative levels. Party pushes on.
I now remember the note on Arueshalae's room and read it to them. Whoops.
Party explores side rooms and then pushes on to the Ritual Chamber.
Hadrian's Demon - Two Steps from Hell & Thomas Berger, Colin Frake on Fire Mountain
So, I had like 14 rounds of actions plotted out for Chorussina. Most taking place behind the Wall of Force, but still. Sure enough, she rolled high enough in the initiative to get to a corner and throw up her wall. Schir go forward and engage. I think I added a schir here for four (since I had four schir minis more than any real planned reason). Unlike the one in the Gray Garrison, they get a few hits in, including the grey pox on the Oracle.
However, first round, Verulam grabs Tural and dimension doors past the Wall of Force. I chortle...dimensional lock throughout the dungeon, but then I read the room description...except in this room. Huzzahs from the player as Verulam drops Tural in Chorussina's face.
Everyone is squeezed in the space behind the wall, but Paladin against a wizard who does not even have mage armor up equals dead wizard. Wait, she survives first round of attacks. She has a high concentration - she will dim door out. She needs a 23 concentration. She is +13. It could happen. Not the even close on the die. Wait, she survives a second round. She has two dim doors...and no.
That said, Verulam felt very vindicated about spell selection and general feelings of smugness, so I don't feel too bad about my bad guys chumping it up. If I did not have fun reading what abilities do when I am plotting out such tactics, I might begrudge the 'wasted' time spent preparing the encounter, but I call that a wash.
Party loots and pushes on to Hall of Deception
Tural very upset by murals, but does not want to try to cut stone with Radiance, so leaves in place for moment. Aril spider climbs up to banner and grabs...and Deskari appears. 5 of them in fact. Xira's player jokes about phantasmal killer....funny you should say that, make me some will saves. Verulam fails will, but makes fort and I think that was all she wrote.
The Gauntlet of ruin got the paladin into the slime pit. Momma K jumped in with a levitate Terendelev's scale and pulled him out. He scraped immediately, she lost some con. Two mundane items lost as scrapers.
And the party pushed on. The doors to the Chasm of Shadows opened to a wall of black. Tural detected evil and sensed the three shadows I had rolled and Eustoyriax. He stepped in to attack a shadow and we rolled for initiative.
Eternal Shadows Fall - Epic Score, Blaze of Glory; Plunge Into Darkness (no vocals) - Epic Score, Blaze of Glory
Shadows drained Tural of a lot of strength and party retreated after killing one. Party waited out a spell and returned with only one shadow present (rolled low on later summoning)
A lot of rules misunderstanding. Daylight versus deeper darkness versus we add a light spell (no that is still suppressed) and some fudging on my parts that was probably outside the rules - he MYTHIC darknesses your stupid daylight! O wait, he is incorporeal, he only takes half damage. O wait, he is immune to precision damage. Is ranger damage precision? (Turns out probably not). Used mythic dodge to avoid one nasty attack from Tural. Finally managed to magic jar Aril (remember this is player who is not present) when Eustoyriax only has like 6 hit points.
Party unloads on him. Drops him to like -6. Verulam dispels the magic jar. Rolls really high. Forces Eustoyriax out. I use mythic point to pounce out of the body and then shadow conjuration dragon breath. Use his last mythic point to surge concentration check.
Observation - I cheated like mad. Mythic ranks suck compared to mythic tiers. As written, Eustoyriax has basically three things he can spend his paltry four mythic points on (mythic dodge (used once), mythic combat reflexes (never really an issue after the AoO from Theruk) and surging). So, I gave him amazing initiative and mythic darkness (used incorrectly) and gave him an extra mythic point (mostly so he could mythic darkness).
Which brings me to shadow evocation and unconscious folks. How would an unconscious person be affected by the illusory elements of the dragon breath? I ruled that the unconscious Aril took the 20% (made will save and failed reflex) and survived. Barely. Bad session to be gone Aril.
Party very satisfied with challenge, so we will sweep cheating under rug and move on.
We took a hit on playing over the holidays because of schedules. We are trying to hit the next session on the 23rd. I realize I am not the writer that some of the other regulars are, but I have always felt that music can really add to the game, so I will continue to post.
I also recommend checking out syrinscape. They have a dedicated set of audio modules for RotR...much more ambient stuff.
Session 13: New Party members and clean up
Played December 21, 2014
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
We pick up where we left off, with the party recovering from fight with Eustoyriax. They head upstairs and begin to poke around. In the rooms next to Staunton Vhane's they find a Halfling rogue named Lucky who is the former husband of Momma K. She has taken leadership and this is her new cohort. They also find a shapeshifting barbarian that is the replacement character for Aril.
Since the party is now tier 3, they decide to rest to recover daily abilities. 1 hour later and 1 mythic point, they are recharged and explore the ground level.
They meander through the place. I have decided that most of the demons and such teleported away or left when Vhane was captured. They don't really have any reason to stay, so why would they?
They fight the Graven Guardians in the old temple of Torag.
After the Inquisition: Children of the Stone, Therion, Sitra Ahra
The fiendish mimics in the treasury - no music seemed to fit these
Barrid Issen with the cultist archers
Cults of the Shadow, Therion, Theli
This was probably the most interesting fight just because of the way the party was moving around the castle, the original ambush I had intended ended up being a running battle with half the party in the courtyard and the other half on the other side of the portcullis.
But after that, the party leaves and goes to get the army.
They bring the army inside the Citadel and begin housecleaning while posting guards. Once the temple of Iomedae is clean, they install the SWORD OF VALOR, and begin to feel the aura of its power spread outward. Running to the walls, they see demons fleeing the city as they too feel the banner's aura sweeping outward.
After a conference with the army leaders, they send Nurah with four paladins to alert Kenabres of victory and request relief.
I have completely underplayed Nurah at this point, although they know that there is a traitor based on the shadowblood and sabotage.
Turil goes to pray at the SWORD, and I decide that this constitutes an act that will summon the palentar. I name him Pahaliah. As the party is still low level and does not have access to some of the required spells - he liberally casts hallow, consecrate, dispel evil, dispel chaos, and he raises Aril from the dead. He also tells them that Nurah is the traitor. He indicates she might be able to be redeemed along with Joran. Staunton is beyond hope.
end session
Session 13.5: Pain in my ass timeline
Done online between sessions
So, my fundamental problem with the beginning of Demon's Heresy is the lack of connection to timeline relative to the end of Sword of Valor.
It takes about 7 or 8 days for anyone to get from Drezen to Kenabres. Presumably, Queen Galfrey is not there, and the relief column is not instantly ready to head to Drezen (especially since it is supposed to be carrying a letter from Galfrey). That is two weeks. The party cannot have enough food to last this long.
Additionally, you can't have raids on the caravans (Wintersun and Scorizscar) reported to the party until after that two weeks. Likewise, Jesker cannot appear, make an impression, and then disappear until after those two weeks. The message to explore westward does not appear until after those two weeks. Meanwhile the retaliation clock starts at 3-4 weeks.
I take a poll and the party has little/no interest in city building rules. So we try to handle some things on our yahoo group out of play.
Verulam has some spells left, so he casts phantom steed twice and he and Tural go chasing after Nurah, catching her with the paladins not too far from Drezen. We don't roleplay, but I describe how after a tense confrontation, she breaks and admits her misdeeds. They get her backstory. They tie her up and camp with paladins.
Rova 11 - Verulam and Tural return with Nurah. Paladins continue on to Kenabres. Lucky tells Momma K about the family crypt in Bantu Wind with the unhappy spirit of Cap'n Katanga - Momma K's grandfather and one of the heroes of the first crusade. The army continues to clean the Citadel and begin rudimentary repairs.
Rova 12 - finish cleaning Citadel and begin sending scouting parties into city of Drezen to forage. Minor skirmishes - i.e., too small to bring in party, and paladins handle. 25 food left
Rova 13 - buildings worth salvaging are identified, others marked for demolition. Minor skirmishes. Cache of food found but overrun with weevil swarms. 19 food left.
Rova 14 - party skirmishes with holdout barbarians. I thought Jestek might be leading them, but just did not care enough to fight it out. Party levels up level 8. Party liberates much food. 30 food
Rova 15, 16 exploration and skirmishes.18 food
Rova 17 - large cache of food found in warehouse. slave tenders found sacrificed in nearby slaughterhouse. All meat spoilt, many nasty swarms. Vhane executed. Joran turned over to Sosiel. Nurah turned over to Irabeth. 57 food
Rova 18 - paladins arrive Kenabres. 51 food
Rova 19-25 - skirmish and exploration. Down to 9 food again
Rova 26 - relief column arrives. Brings orders from Galfrey. And food. Additional armies. Has a small baggage train with surgeons, engineers and such. They begin taking over restoration of buildings, repair of Citadel and such. Priests of major faiths show up.
Erastil - Jesker, Torag - Bruno Flathill, Desna Jotah Swallowtail, Sarenrae/st. zobmaggle (inside joke from our shattered star campaign) - Spliff, Abador - Niles Stanchion (related to Horgus, but no one cares).
Rova 27 - alarm raised as it looks like the city is on fire. Spliff has decided to honor the fire portion of Sarenrae's portfolio with a huge bonfire. 2 blocks lost. They were unimportant, but still.
Lamashan 1 - settlers arrive (bringing the city to up to its stat block population. The report the chapel in Ahari river is now staffed.
Party can finally buy/sell loot and feels like they can leave city to explore per Galfrey's instruction.
Note that this is still pretty accelerated. It seems like only after this can the party begin learning of caravan attacks, Jesker disappear and such.
Session 14: The Family Crypt
Played February 1, 2015
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
Some discussion of what was done on list. Had to pin down when Vhane killed and disposition of Nurah, Joran.
Also party wants to buy/sell stuff. So they sell what they can and buy some stuff.
Lamashan 3 - begin search up Ahari for Bantu Wind. The exploration rules leave something to be desired in terms of timeline as well, but we roll with it.
Spend this day getting little snippets of the Worldwound landscape. I use the Blight from Robert Jordan as my main inspiration. They buy into it.
Cognizant of the complaints about one a day under CR encounters, I have pregenerated 2 random encounters to occur on the same day that they address the crypt.
Lamashan 4 - As they are exiting their conjured house, a bebelith attacks. It is really too far away to make much of a threat for them. Stupid crazy high perception checks.
Meeting Aragog - Harry Potter OST
later in day, party comes across a fisherman's shack on edge of dry river. Inside are the 4 brimoraks from Drezen and the vrock is in river bed. Ambush with lots of fireballs and the vrock tears up the archer. Party is rusty since we have not played in so long and spreads damage all over the place, making fight last longer than it should have.
Chateau, Rob Dougan, The Matrix Reloaded; Feuer Frei! Rammstein, Mutter
Party arrives Bantu Wind and confronts ghost - it is not Cap'n Katanga, but rather is his brother Lonzo. He confronts Momma K and yells at her and such.
Graveyard, Midnight Syndicate, Vampyre: Symphonies from the Crypt
Party enters crypt and fights bodak. Negative levels for several people from gaze. It does not last, but it sucks up some resources.
Unhallowed ground, Midnight syndicate, Vampyre: Symphonies from the Crypt
Skulgrym. Good fight. Return of the nabasu. They are more powerful, but so is it relative to last nabasu. Unguentum Sabbati Therion Sitra Ahra
Lamashan 5 - consecrate crypt, bring Lonzo's bones with them as they head to Drezen. Lonzo shows cache of goodies. The untyped cold iron holy weapon goes to Galain as his falcate. Not precisely what was intended, but he is only person who lacks a good melee weapon.
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Session 15: Wintersun Barbarians
Played February 15, 2015
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
Lonzo yells at the party as they carry him to Drezen. Tells them that the family fane needs attention. Note that I have merged child of the crusades and touched by divinity since Momma K has switched between these traits and touched by divinity for Cayden Cailean seems kind of meh to me.
Party returns to Drezen. arrives Lamashan 6. Learn of caravan attacks by Wintersun barbarians.
Lamashan 7 - party heads down Arahi river bed to chapel. Talks to clerics there, then explores ambush site. Dreams begin for Xira and Garan (the two with Stolen Fury)
Lamashan 8 - try to track the barbarians to lair. Ranger (Xira)rolls like crap, or has few ranks survival and it does not look good.
Lamashan 9 - explore all south side
Lamashan 10 - find box canyon with skeleton swarms across throat. A couple fireballs later, they are gone and party goes into box canyon.
Hordes of Undead, Erdenstern, Into the Dark[b]
Then two zombie swarms. Again, fireballs wipe them out.
[b] ditto
Foul Coven random encounter at end of box canyon (they made all the undead). Got off a firestorm, which was pretty good. However, the coven spells require a full round casting by all three of the hags/witchfire...that is not happening with this many actions by party, so very few other good spells got off. Still, it made the party burn resources.
Lands of Witches, Pierre Esteve, Black Moon Chronicles - OST
2 Drocha Swarms attack after the hags dealt with
Spirits of Moravia, Two Steps from Hell, Classics, Vol. 1
These were surprisingly effective. Party still not awesome at fighting incorporeal and/or swarms
As the party leaves the canyon, 4 will o wisps attack (witchfires have affinity for them, so why not? there are will o wisp minis in the set for WotR).
Lamashan 11 party meets Derakni with Vescavor swarm
Cicada Shrill Buzz, Cicadas Buzz Loudly, Cicadas Buzz in a group, Pro Sound Effects, Sounds of Animals: Bugs and Insects
Wintersun barbarian hall
Jestek is at front door with the two scrubs. She does not last
Barbarian Horde, Gladiator OST
Other barbarians
De Mortui Nil Nisi Bene, Tarot, Spell of Iron
Fight with Marhavok Death of Rexor Pt. 2, Basil Poledouris, Conan the Barbarian OST
This was the fight that almost wasn't. After a parlay with Tural about the Exposed to Awfulness common bond they shared, and Tural's refusal to join Marhavok, we rolled for initiative. Momma K's slumber hex knocked out Marhavok in first round of combat. Meh. Tural woke him up and had single combat. The drake joined, and it was brisk, but not too challenging.
4 will o wisps attack after the fight with the witches.
Session 16: The Family Fane
Played March 1, 2015
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
As a reminder, Momma K was originally going to be Touched by Divinity. Momma K is part of the Katanga clan of halflings that has appeared in many of our campaigns over the years. The original Katanga was based loosely on Captain Katanga of Indiana Jones and they are all scoundrels. Some with hearts of gold, but all charismatic types. It was only too perfect that some of that charisma came from a divine source, so I had relished Momma K being the daughter of Iomedae. Then, when Galain was introduced, he wanted to be Touched by divinity, so Momma K took Child of the Crusades instead. Not wanting to give up the divine Katanga, I merged the two stories for Momma K.
So, the family fane is an old Katanga church by the Original Cap'n Katanga (Momma K's grandfather). We started still at the Wintersun hall. I wanted to play with the weather tables a little bit - to hype up the weirdness that is the Worldwound. So, the party rests and the next day there is an Abyssal Storm. They stay in the hall and are afraid of the rifts and such.
Thunderstorm approaching, Dr. Sound Effects, 210 Nature Sounds; Thunder with steady downpour, Dr. Sound Effects, 210 nature sounds; Driving rain storm and strong winds, Pro Sound effects, 210 nature sounds
The party heads back to Drezen, buy/sell and such and then head to family fane.
On Lamashan 18 they explore hex with fane, fight a vrock. At this point the vrock is throw away encounter, but it does help burn a few resources. Chateau, Rob Dougan, The Matrix Reloaded
Then 2 warped ones. Some interesting effects with their auras, but also not a huge challenge. More resources burned. Not sure I had music for this. My playlist has Thunderstruck, AC/DC, AC/DC Live but that may have been for the Abyssal Storm.
The Fane. I tried to build this with Dwarven Forge, which altered the dimensions somewhat. How come more dungeon designers do not at least make a passing nod to this resource? It looks awesome and is fun to use. I don't need every room/cavern/dungeon to be able to be made from this stuff, but give me a few here and there.
Momma K and Tural buffed up, including blowing some magic horn and entered. The Templars had heard the horn and used invisibility potions to cluster with 3 on each side of the entry hall. I also gave them selective channeling. So when Momma K and Tural entered, they got hit with 6 negative channels. There were cries of "foul" it should hurt them, and I responded - (because of the dwarven forge size of the room) the two groups were just over 30' apart, cha 14 plus selective channel means that they can channel without hitting other side so bang. Grumbles from players, but everyone agreed within rules. They hate it when I pull player tactics on them.
De Mortui Nil Nisi Bene, Tarot, Spell of Iron
PCs mulled around and I got off another batch channel, but then the PC powers started going off and they Templars died quickly.
This alerted Zanedra, who buffed and came out from under the statue as the party was looting the Templars. Svennarobeth freaked them out, and they focused fire on him. They got more freaked out when I had her resummon him quickly using words like 'My god, I bring you back to this place to kill these interlopers!' (this may have been against the rules, I did not check how frequently an eidolon can be summoned if it dies). Her tactics are kind of lame, especially since she can't summon babaus while Svennarobeth is out and about. They killed her and the fight was over.
Then the reveal about Momma K's ancestry and how Cap'n Katanga was banging Iomedae. This baffled Tural and there was much chortling over the divine Katangas. Cap'n Katanga's best line "Even Iomedae has needs..."
The party then searched the rest of the fane and found clues and fought the Mihstu. Spectral Mist, Midnight Syndicate, Realm of Shadows
The party returns to Drezen, speaks with Aril who tells of dreams of Arueshalae and learns of missing Jesker
Session 17: Rescue Jesker and Disrupt the Ritual
Played March 15, 2015
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
More efforts to consolidate the random encounters into a batch to burn resources before the set piece encounters. More playing with the weather.
22 – stay in town, buy/sell, investigate jesker’s disappearance
23 – begin travel to Delamere’s tomb
24 – explore hexes on way to tomb
26 – continue explore. Fight with vrock. It was a throw away encounter, but, when the vrock was slain, I had the corpse rot away to reveal the body and equipment of a crusader whose body had scars similar to the Stolen Fury scars. Chateau, Rob Dougan, The Matrix Reloaded
29 – 2 bebilith The Spiders, Harry Potter OST, Meeting Aragog, Harry Potter OST These lasted a bit longer than the other one, but still not a challenge in any sort of open terrain. Theory was that they had been sent to hunt party, and led the next encounter to party.
A little later in day 2 drake riders Ride to Destiny, Midnight Syndicate, D&D Official Roleplaying. Flyby attack and Spirited Charge scared the party some. Good fight.
Delamere's Tomb and Jesker. More dwarven forge. I got to pull out the lava pack from KS2. Party noticed he was under influence pretty quickly. Some decent roleplaying as he stood up and Crushed him on initiative and I think threw a hold monster on him. Quinarch popped out and the fight was on. I think we spent more time describing his appearance than the actual fight. Possession, Danzig, Danzig
Party took crystal tomb and Jesker back to Drezen. Atoned Jesker in town and oohed and aahed over the phat lewts.
Neth
1 – Buy/sell/update city inhabitants. Drop hints about pull of Stolen Fury towards lava near tomb.
3 – Return to tomb hex
5 – explore hex sw of tomb
7 – explore hex with Vorimeraak. Chateau, Rob Dougan, The Matrix Reloaded
So I put a bunch more vrocks into this. I had the big V and 2 vrocks in the crater and 4 more at periphery. The four moved to engage party while the big V and his 2 cronies began their dance. I misdid the dance and only added +2d6 (one for each additional dancer) instead of +10d6 (+5d6 for each additional dancer). But as far as a mythic fight goes - kind of lame. Ranks are very much inferior to tiers. While I buffed hit points, it was a quick fight.
10 – arrive back Drezen
Session 18: Woundwyrm
Played March 29, 2015
Short session because of other commitments. I did not have time to prepare as much as I wanted, but it worked out well.
Only one real fight planned - the Woundwyrm.
I started with Scorpion's stat block and modified further. Immune to fire. Quicken SLA for polymorph any object. Did not increase damage if you had resist acid up. Maxed HP. I also indicate that if you are swallowed, you get plane shifted to abyss. Also, I modified the dimensional rifts he proposed.
Specifically, this was a big dwarven forge cavern with a 30' wide opening. Inside a mix of lava and cavern tiles. A small pool of lava and a river of lava gave off light. The entrance had a dimensional rift somewhat like he proposed. Inside were three 10x10 rifts randomly placed in cavern. I used the ice tiles to mark these. Each round, these random tiles would either move or summon a demon.
Mechanics:
roll percentile dice. 01-50 - move, roll d8 and d6. d8 was direction, d6 was how many 5' steps.
51-100 summon. Roll d12, get 1d4 demons from table below (precise order may have changed, but these are the demons they have fought before (minus succubus and quasit)
1 - dretch
2- abrikandilu
3 - vermleek
4 - thoxel
5 - babau
6 - schir
7 - nabasu
8 - vrock
9 - shadow demon
10 - shachath
11 - derakni
12 - brimorak
I should note that the summoned guys appear and then spend next action stunned from plane shift of rift (so basically, one round to appear, one round stunned, then acting on round 3).
Fight begins with them buffing up. Verulam rolls well on knowledge arcana and ascertains basic nature of rift. A couple of dimensional anchors later, it is suppressed in one 10x10 square and party enters.
The paper pawn does not do the monster justice, but they are impressed. They wait for haste from Verulam, which allows the tiles to move and summon 4 babau (2 move, 1 summons). One moves on top of Garan, who gets teleported randomly (again d8 plus d6). The wyrm drops quicken polymorph on Tural who saves. Then flies up and breathes cone. The resist acid takes care of most of that, but the solid fog is annoying.
Good melee fight between Tural, Garan and wyrm. Xira can't hit wyrm, so focuses on demons (I get 4 dretch and a vrock in addition). Verulam spends time casting dimensional anchor on Tural and Garan so that they are not sucked into abyss through swallow mechanism.
Very good fight.
Then I sprang my second twist. When they reduce woundwyrm to 0 hit points, it splits and turns into a bunch of chromatic dragons.
I have miniatures for small white dragon, small blue dragon, small red dragon, large green, large black and large red. These appear somewhat randomly on board (basically where they fit).
Fight proceeds against junior dragons. These have normal hit points and such, but party freak out factor is high.
Great session.
The Fire Dragon, 13th warrior OST; Heart of a Dragon, Dragonforce, Valley of the Damned; Where Dragons Rule, Dragonforce, Valley of the Damned, Son of the Dragon, Ramin Djawadi, Dracula Untold; Lair of the Great Wyrm, Midnight Syndicate, D&D soundtrack; Ironwing, Two Steps from Hell, Archangel looped through entire fight.
Session 19 – Played May 3, 2015
I have very little recollection of this session because of time lag. I apologize. My memory was that the party left the Woundwyrm lair, returned to Drezen, found out Sosiel had been kidnapped and Joran killed. Deciding to try to find Arueshalae first to help get to the Ivory Sanctum, they headed to the redoubt and the majority of the session was the combat in the Redoubt.
I don’t recall the combat being particularly challenging since I had done nothing to drain resources before the fight (stupid real life time constraints).
We ended before the party could talk to Arueshalae.
Music – After Apolalypse from BG
Continuous loop of
Anakin’s Dream – Revenge of the Sith
Baltar’s Dream – BG, season 2
The Dream – In this Moment, The Dream
The Dream – Majestic Moods, Celtic Dawn
Dream Evil – Dio, The Very Beast of Dio
Am I Not Human? – Two Steps from Hell, Invincible
Dreamline – Rush, Roll the Bones
Dreamsicle – Jimmy Buffet, Volcano
In My Dreams – Dokken, Under Lock and Key
Ever Dream (Live) – Nightwish, End of an Era(Live)
Dream Warriors – Dokken, Back for the Attack
Dream Quest – Basil Poledouris, Conan the Destroyer
I Could Have Been a Dreamer – Dio, The Very Beast of Dio
Am I Demon – Danzig, Danzig
Session 20 played. Very good session for me. A good mix of curb stomp and tough fights. Will post in a few.
Sorry for lack of bolding and terseness on previous post, but was not a memorable session.
Session 20 – played July 26, 2015
Overall a very fun session for me as DM. A good mix of curb stomps and tough fights.
Basilisks – plink with arrows, then boom spell, clean up. Made of Stone, Evanescence – Evanescence (I may have also used this for gargoyles, but whatever).
Lucky the cohort rogue steps through illusory wall and sees minotaurs. Gets scared and runs away. Combat starts. Portcullis blocks primary melee and illusory wall blocks ranged. Barb and Paladin try to lift portcullis (why is there no DC for this? – I set it at 30). Unholy blights from two, melee from other two. Fumble around, Arueshalae flies in and UMD to open. Party tumble through and fights. As last one falls, two more teleport in using Scorpion’s Scion of Baphomet block. Charge archer trigger oubliette, but surge prevents it from happening. Second one melees someone else. Momma K slumbers one, the party dispatches other and tries to coup de grace slumbering one. It makes save and damage is not quite enough to kill, so party has to finish it off in melee. The Axe Shall Fall – Devil Driver, The Last Kind Words
Combat manages to last five rounds, so Kalavakus send summoned Kalavakus to fight party. Untamable Beast – Epic Score, Blade of Glory – ES030. Party forges north and finds other two Kalavakus demons. Kills them. Finally drop out of combat and search around.
Head into Neh-Thalggu room. Fireballs are not friendly. Some archery and bam. Marauders – ZM R4D10, Ep.
Head south find Sosiel in cage, teleport him back to Drezen after talking to him and healing him. Get some information on Jerribeth and Vang, but not much.
Explore minotaur barracks, then head to Jerribeth. Ruthless Queen (no vocals) - Epic Score, Blaze of Glory – ES030
She talks to them for a bit, offers her bribe, discusses how they are aligned in cause. Paladin rejects. Finally roll initiative. Use Scorpions stat block. Good long fight with Jerribeth. Buffed up, her AC was 44, everyone was missing. Mythic Power word stun paladin, 1 round. Unholy blight in second initiative of dual initiative. Party starts throwing dispel magics. Surges go off. Paladin and barbarian move to melee. . Destruction on barbarian. Makes save. Use one initiative to full attack barb and drop him (stable at -9). I screw up Arueshalae’s arrows…how can she use axiomatic arrows effectively? Whatever, she dimension doors next to Jerribeth to set up flank. More dispel magics…slowly taking away her buffs. Power word stun on paladin again. 3 rounds this time. Full attack on Arueshalae. Miss a few times. Maybe another unholy blight. Finally Verulam finishes her off with augmented empowered maximized magic missile. End session
Session 21 - played August 2, 2015
Settle In Music: Apocalypse Pt. I from the Plan - Bear McCreary, BG
The party decided to use the mythic recuperation and then push on. They stayed in Jerribeth's chambers, so no one was likely to bother them. Likewise, the swath of destruction in the entry and east side of the Sanctum seemed likely to go unnoticed since the Templars and Black Adepts were not likely to cross through the central portion unless for services before the main altar. There was no indication that this was a frequent occurrence, so I just left everyone where they were originally positioned.
Party heads west and hears the sounds of combat/training from the Templars to the south in Q14. Tight confines at doorway slows the combat long enough for one Templar to run and pound on door to Black Adepts in Q15. Black Adepts begin summoning and buffing.
De Mortui Nil Nisi Bene, Tarot, Spell of Iron
Party finishes Templars. Party is quick to use simpler abilities - e.g., force missile from the evoker gets used - and lays off the mythic high power mojo.
Verulam opens door to Q15 with the party spread out in Q14. I put the vrock right at the door with 2 babau and a shadow demon spread out amidst the adepts. This melee was interesting mostly because the party was not its usual marching order. The tanks were out of position and the artillery was in melee. But the actual damage dealt was pretty minor after the vrock chewed up Verulam. A confusion spell on the adepts and the vrock as well as a hold monster on the shadow demon kept everyone in place long enough to mop it all up.
Rham - Pierre Esteve, Black Moon Chronicles - OST
I decided the Derakni in Q16 would have heard combat and alerted Xanthir. The party went into Q16 to face first Derakni.
Hold Monster on it disrupted its efforts to summon, and the party's alpha strike killed it before the end of initiative. The second one in the hallway got its summon off and teleported to get reinforcements. The summoned one did not last very long either. The swarms through the illusory wall clued the party into the existence of the illusion and they stepped through the dispatch the three derakni in hall. I did get some enervations on the paladin and some poison on the barbarian, but not very interesting fight.
Cicadas from the Pro Sound Effects Library
The party pushed south to Xanthir. What a disappointment.
Destructo - Two Steps from Hell, Archangel.
I totally cheated and just gave him a 20 on initiative for 29. Only Momma K went before him.
Feeblemind.
Hive mind = mind affecting single target affects him.
Saving throw --------- 1
Ummmmm....what do I got left? A rod of withering at +6/+1. Yeah. Whatever.
The party mopped up the Coloxus demon and Templars in Q10, although they chatted for a bit. Grillixbe was distressed when all of her efforts to entice the party were for naught since they had killed Jerribeth and Xanthir. She did destroy the documents with the locust swarm, but they already had copies from Xanthir.
De Mortui Nil Nisi Bene, Tarot, Spell of Iron
Black Adepts in Q11 - meh.
Rham - Pierre Esteve, Black Moon Chronicles - OST
Thanadaemon - we were running out of time, so did not use the scorpion mod here. Death ward quickly applied made this fight pretty simple.
Behind the Wall of Sleep - Smithereens, Especially for You